Mayor Bowser Sends Mixed Signals in a Washington Whirlwind

Does she see Trump’s federalization of DC as a help or hindrance?

Ever since President Donald Trump took control of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington earlier this week and sent the National Guard to DC’s streets to quell crime and violence, elected Democrats nationwide have slammed the chief executive’s actions and denounced the 30-day immobilization. Some have called it an “unjustified power grab.” DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, on the other hand, has been calmer. She has criticized Trump’s actions one moment and welcomed them the next. Depending on where she is and who she’s talking to, her comments differ. They all carry similar characteristics, however: cautious words, a Zen-like demeanor, and mixed signals. It’s hard to figure out where she stands. Is she playing it safe, trying to please both sides, or does she have a higher goal in mind?

Confused in Washington

During a press conference on Monday after the president announced his plan to federalize DC, Bowser called Trump’s executive action “unsettling and unprecedented.” But then she added, “I can’t say that given some of the rhetoric of the past that we’re totally surprised.” Just a few minutes later, she said the federal assistance could benefit the city. “The fact that we have more law enforcement and presence in neighborhoods, that may be positive.”

Jump to Tuesday morning, the mayor, speaking on  Charlamagne tha God’s radio show The Breakfast Club, claimed the city had “the lowest level of violent crime in 30 years” in 2024, though surely she knows those statistics are disreputable. “The numbers just don’t justify the action,” said Bowser. She then suggested the president was deliberately targeting areas where he knows he is less popular, claiming he is “very aware” of how many DC residents voted for him in 2024: only 6.6%.

In a virtual meeting on Tuesday night, she came across with more zeal, saying she was “really ticked off” about the federal takeover. Bowser also disputed Trump’s characterization of DC and said now was a time for communities to “protect our city and to protect our autonomy, to protect our Home Rule, and get to the other side of this guy, and make sure we elect a Democratic House so that we have a backstop to this authoritarian push.”

DC’s Home Rule Act was passed in 1973 and allows residents to elect a mayor, councilmembers, and Advisory Neighborhood commissioners, giving DC citizens some control over local affairs in the federal district that is otherwise under congressional authority. Section 740 of the act permits the chief executive to use the Metropolitan Police Department for “federal purposes” if deemed “necessary and appropriate.” This is the “autonomy” Bowser wants to protect. She’d certainly rather gain more than less, which might be one reason she is treading so carefully.

Keep Enemies Closer

In 2020, Bowser had Black Lives Matter painted in giant letters on the street just north of the White House, which many on the left called an act of defiance against the president. However, it was during the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in Minnesota when protests and riots had erupted nationwide, and progressives all over were demanding that their cities defund the police. Bowser didn’t bow to those calls, though, yet few people seemed to notice because they were distracted by the bright yellow letters on the pavement. She may have annoyed Trump with that stunt, but she dodged a potential disaster and placated some angry protesters. Earlier this year, under pressure from Republicans, the mayor agreed to have the mural removed, saying the city had “bigger fish to fry … making sure our residents and our economy survives.”

Just how long can Mayor Bowser keep her cool? Maybe we’ll see a different side of her in the next few weeks. She has often walked a thin line this year, trying to please the liberal crowd and her constituents while also working to avoid angering the president too much. Though she has been a vocal critic since his first term, she traveled to Mar-a-Lago to visit Trump after he won the 2024 election.

Maybe it’s one of those situations where a person keeps their friends close but their enemies closer. Why not? After all, she knows Trump has toyed with the idea of federalizing DC since his 2024 campaign, which was probably why she wasn’t too surprised when the president made the order. It “kind of plays into his narrative about cities, about using force, about being tough on crime,” Bowser told Charlamagne tha God. “I can say a little bit more about why D.C. is different,” she said, “but it’s times like this when America needs to know why your nation’s capital, a place where 700,000 taxpaying Americans live, should be the 51st state.”

Perhaps that could be what she really wants, the real reason she has tried to get along with the president as much as possible while still keeping DC’s residents and her fellow Democrats from roasting her on a spit. Making the District of Columbia a state is something the Democratic Party has long sought because most of the city votes blue. Statehood would give the party more power in Congress.

But the chances of DC becoming a state under the Trump administration are probably zero. Maybe the mayor’s calm demeanor as she tiptoes on eggshells has a much simpler explanation. Is it possible she just wants what’s best for Washington and its citizens? Perhaps she believes more will get done by making compromises and working with both sides instead of attacking the GOP’s every move and spending half her time protesting. That may be far-fetched. Either way, how she handles the rest of the 30-day immobilization will likely lift the smoke from her conflicting words.